Cold tightens grip, death toll mounts to 139

Rains coupled with snowfall on Sunday, aggravated cold wave conditions in parts of north India where sub-zero temperatures in Kashmir Valley claimed two more lives, pushing the country-wide death toll to 139.

In Delhi, the maximum temperature dipped three degrees below normal at 18ºC, while the minimum settled at 11.9ºC, the MeT office said.

Kashmir Valley reeled under intense cold with the minimum in Srinagar plummeting to minus 5.5ºC, the coldest night in the city this winter.

Two people succumbed to the freezing cold in Hiranagar of Kathua district and Bishnah of Jammu district respectively, officials said.

Higher reaches in Himachal Pradesh continued to experience intermittent snowfall with day temperatures dropping across the state following rains.

Shimla and Manali received 20 cm and 40 cm of snow respectively while the Rohtang Pass was covered under 170 cm of thick white blanket, the MeT office said.

In an unusual phenomenon, a few pockets in Punjab bordering Himachal Pradesh received snow flakes, which MeT officials attributed to “change of wind direction favoured by low temperature“.

Most of Punjab shivered under severe chill with holy town Amritsar recording a minimum of two degree celsisus, while Ludhiana and Patiala, too, experienced the intense cold, recording respective lows of 4.6ºC and 6.2ºC.

In Haryana, Ambala registered a low of 7.7ºC while the minimum at Karnal was nine degrees.